The present invention relates to a controlling program to be executed in a network system so as to output audible voices indicating guidance for a user and also relates to an image forming apparatus that output the above audible voices.
In recent years, various kinds of image forming apparatuses, such as a copier, a printer, etc., have employed various kinds of technologies to improve usability. For instance, cited as one of such the technologies can be a voice guiding facility, to audibly announce the contents of a trouble or the like occurring within the image forming apparatus by using audible voices. According to the image forming apparatus provided with the above voice guiding facility, it becomes possible for the user to easily grasp the current status of the image forming apparatus, even if the user is apart from the installation place of the malfunctioning image forming apparatus. Further, even if the user is a visually handicapped person, it also becomes possible for the user to easily grasp the current status of the image forming apparatus as well.
Tokkaihei 11-122409 sets forth such a technology that, when a certain trouble occurs in an image forming apparatus, audible voices indicating the contents of the trouble are outputted from the speaker upon a request of the user. According to this technology, it becomes possible for the user to hear the contents of the trouble announced by the audible voices as needed, resulting in an improvement of availability of the image forming apparatus concerned.
In a typical office environment, sometimes, plural kinds of image forming apparatuses, including an image forming apparatus capable of outputting color images, another image forming apparatus capable of outputting only monochrome images, etc., are installed. Under such an office environment as abovementioned, the user selects a suitable image forming apparatus from the plural image forming apparatuses coupled to each other through a network, in order to output an image onto a paper sheet.
When a plurality of image forming apparatuses are installed into the office as abovementioned, the user, who instructed one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses to output an image through the network, does not necessary need to be within a peripheral area of the image forming apparatus concerned. Under such the office environment as abovementioned, even if a message, indicating contents of a trouble occurring in the image forming apparatus, a completion of an image outputting operation, etc., is announced via audible voice, the contents of the message cannot reach the user who instructed the image forming operation, but merely a useless voice sound would be emitted from the image forming apparatus concerned. In addition, it has been a problem that such the useless voice sound would result in noise pollution by which other users working around the image forming apparatus concerned would be irritated.
Therefore, it is required to provide a controlling program and an image forming apparatus, each of which makes it possible to output guidance by emitting an audible voice from an image forming apparatus located in the vicinity of the user who has instructed any one of other image forming apparatuses to implement a print job.